But Houllier should be more interested in the January sales and bringing in much needed reinforcements after yesterday’s 4-2 defeat left patched-up Villa perilously close to the relegation zone.

Strikes from Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri late in the first half put Arsenal in the ascendancy and despite a second-half fightback led by Ciaran Clark’s double, the Gunners eased home with goals from Marouane Chamakh and Jack Wilshere.

Villa face a daunting festive programme with home clashes against Tottenham and West Brom and trips to Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. However, before then there is Wednesday’s Carling Cup quarter-final at Birmingham. Houllier must hope Villa fare better against their enemies than he did against his friend.

Wenger showed Houllier no mercy, but will have gratefully said ‘merci’ to his French compatriot, as the Gunners outclassed Villa and gave their hosts a lesson in full-flowing attacking football.

Robert Pires is being chauffeured on a 250-mile round trip from London to Bodymoor Heath and back again after opting to stay in the capital – but the Arsenal old boy was not the only Villa passenger during a tepid first half. Stephen Warnock’s misplaced pass to Arshavin after 30 seconds set the tone for the worst 45 minutes of Houllier’s reign with James Collins clearing from Chamakh. From then on Arsenal dominated the opening period, picking their way through the claret and blue backline at will as Villa’s unforced errors all over the field also contributed to the hosts’ downfall.

It took until midway through the half for Villa to settle but Ashley Young’s wasteful finish from their only chance before the break summed up a miserable afternoon when he blazed high into the North Stand after Clark glanced on Stewart Downing’s curling cross. Mark Clattenburg, the ref who denied Villa a clear-cut penalty in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last season, got two non-awards right after Arshavin dived under Barry Bannan’s challenge on the edge of the box before the Scot’s cross hit a defender’s shoulder at the other end.

But Villa only had themselves to blame as the Gunners confirmed their superiority with two late first-half goals, ironically after the hosts fleetingly got a slight foothold.

A mix up between Luke Young and Collins allowed the ball to drift through to Arshavin who clinically punished the mistake with the 39th minute opener. The Russian pocket rocket still had plenty of work to do but drifted in from the left flank unchallenged before guiding a measured finish into the corner via the fingertips of Friedel.

Moments later Nasri fired into the side-netting after rounding Friedel, who then produced a brilliant point-blank range save to repel Chamakh’s header.

But from the ensuing corner on 44 minutes Nasri found his range when Arshavin’s deep corner dropped perfectly to the French star whose volley into the turf from 18 yards flashed past the keeper.

The last time Villa beat Arsenal at Villa Park, they overturned a 2-0 interval deficit to win 3-2 in December 1998 and for a brief moment the Holte End dared to dream of a repeat when Houllier sacrificed Pires for Nathan Delfouneso at the break and switched from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2.

The positive change woke Villa from their slumber and after a period of pressure Clark gave most of the 38,544 crowd hope by opening his senior account with a belting 51st minute strike, hitting a scorching left-foot half volley from the edge of the area.

Villa’s joy was short-lived as Arsenal regained their two-goal advantage just five minutes later, with Chamakh darting behind the defence and poking past Friedel who was slow off his line. To the claret and blues’ credit they rallied again and Clark once again gave Villa false hope when he reacted smartly to Richard Dunne’s header into the danger zone from a Young corner to nod in off the underside of the bar and make it 3-2.

Indeed the defender-turned-midfielder might have been a hat-trick hero had he not snatched at his easiest chance of the lot and fired into the side netting in between his two goals. Dunne’s weak header was then grasped by Fabianski as Villa searched for an equaliser while the visitors showed their continued threat when Friedel succeeded where he had earlier failed by racing out to thwart Chamakh.

But the Moroccan made Villa pay again in stoppage time when he expertly picked out Jack Wilshere with a fourth goal which epitomised Arsenal’s superior class.